The game director of MultiVersus, Tony Huynh, has publicly condemned the threats of violence directed at the development team following the announcement of the game's closure. Last week, Player First Games revealed that Season 5 would be MultiVersus' final season, with servers shutting down this May, just a year after its relaunch. Offline access to purchased and earned content will remain via local and training modes. While in-game purchases are discontinued, Gleamium and character tokens remain usable until May 30th, after which the game will be delisted from major digital storefronts.
The announcement, coupled with the absence of a refund policy, sparked outrage among players, particularly those who purchased the $100 Founder's Pack, with many expressing feelings of being "scammed," especially those holding unusable character tokens after unlocking all characters. Consequently, MultiVersus is experiencing a wave of negative reviews on Steam.
Huynh's statement acknowledged the disappointment but expressed gratitude to Warner Bros. Games, the development team, IP holders, and players. He apologized for the delayed response, citing the demanding situation and focus on team well-being. He highlighted fan contributions as a source of inspiration, explained the multifaceted process of character selection, and defended the team's efforts. Crucially, he condemned the threats of harm, emphasizing the emotional toll on the team and urging players to consider the impact of their actions.
Angelo Rodriguez Jr., a community manager and developer, further defended Huynh, highlighting his dedication and commitment to the community. He emphasized that threats of violence are unacceptable and urged players to reflect on the situation. He also highlighted the significant amount of content planned for Season 5.
MultiVersus' failure represents another significant setback for Warner Bros. Games, following the poor performance of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Warner Bros. Discovery reported that these two games contributed to a combined $300 million loss. The company's third-quarter 2024 release, Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, also failed to meet expectations. Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav acknowledged the underperformance of their games division.
Following the release of its year-one roadmap, post-launch content for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has ended. Rocksteady's next project remains unannounced, although they are reportedly assisting with a director's cut of Hogwarts Legacy. The studio has also experienced recent layoffs.
The financial success of Mortal Kombat 1 is also uncertain, though NetherRealm Studios' Ed Boon reported over five million sales and teased future DLC.
Zaslav stated that Warner Bros. is focusing its development efforts on four key franchises: Hogwarts Legacy (a sequel is in development), Mortal Kombat, Game of Thrones, and DC, particularly Batman. Recently, they released the VR title Batman: Arkham Shadow for Meta Quest 3 and have a Wonder Woman game in development at Monolith Productions. Zaslav emphasized a strategy of focusing on core franchises and proven studios to improve the success rate of future games.
